Habanero-pineapple sauce recipe
Did you know that spelling habañero (with the tilde) is incorrect? Neither did I. Using the tilde for a recipe involving jalapeño and pineapple would be correct but using the tilde for habanero or empanada is actually something called a hyperforeignism — or why people commonly mispronounce bruschetta and parmesan*.
Of course, you won’t be saying much of anything if you take a bite out of one these searing hot peppers. According to a widely used scientific scale of spicy heat, the Scoville scale, most habanero varieties are rated at 100,000 to 580,000 Scoville heat units. For comparison, a banana pepper is rated below 1,000 units and a jalapeño pepper tops out at about 8,000 units, which is hot but manageable for most. So, eating raw habanero peppers — which can be well over half a million units — isn’t something to take lightly. It’s something to take with a giant honking glass of milk.
As hot as habaneros may be though, they may be among the most flavorful with a distinct piquant citrus or fruit taste that makes habaneros wildly popular in hot sauces and rubs and any number of specialty foods, some of which are surprisingly good. Roasted pineapple and habanero are absolutely magnificent together and if you can stand tingling lips for an hour or so, slather this sauce on chicken wings or on a chicken breast for an immensely satisfying sandwich. If you’re intrigued by the recipe but are scared you might die a horrible, fiery death by tiny chicken leg, you can take some steps to turn down the heat.
There are several methods to keep the heat down. Wearing gloves** of some kind, split the peppers and remove the seed pod. Be sure to completely remove all of the seeds and ribbing (white membrane). Soak the peppers in white vinegar or milk overnight until the heat drops to acceptable levels or alternately, soak the peppers in tequila for several hours following these steps.
It’s also why I spent thirty minutes correcting every instance of habañero from our habanero-pineapple sauce and habanero-pineapple wings recipes. On a related note: there’s a little extra work waiting for you if you love and work with a copyeditor.
Some people insist on the thick, yellow dishwashing kitchen gloves as the capsaicin from really hot peppers will burn right through the thin permeable material of food prep gloves. Of course, kitchen gloves will burn right through any sort of respectable knife work as well, so nitrile gloves may be the best solution for de-seeding peppers. I like the nitrile gloves so I can pretend to be one of the Hands of Blue from Firefly, but that’s just me.
Image: ForkingSpoon
Habanero-pineapple sauce recipe
Bored with buffalo? Try this amazing habanero-pineapple sauce with honey and fresh ginger in your next batch of chicken wings or spicy chicken sandwich.
Ingredients
Instructions
Grill the pineapple
Set your grill to medium heat and make sure the grate or grill topper are clean and well oiled. Coat the pineapple sections generously with 1 tablespoon of honey (long wedges or slices work best) and lay them out on the grill, carefully, as the sections will be slippery. Grill each side for 4 minutes or until the pineapple and honey have caramelized and turned the pieces have evenly browned.
Saute the onions and garlic
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has become tender and fragrant (about 7 minutes).
Cook the remaining ingredients
Add the remaining honey (3 tablespoons), apple cider vinegar, Sriracha and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 10 minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated, stirring occasionally. Add the pineapple, habanero and grated ginger and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the cilantro. Brush on wings or let cool and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Notes
If you're planning to use a whole pineapple, turn it upside down in an empty container for 2 to 3 hours before cooking to evenly distribute the sugar throughout the fruit. Spending some time upside down will make the entire pineapple sweeter and more tender.
Ingredients
Directions
Grill the pineapple
Set your grill to medium heat and make sure the grate or grill topper are clean and well oiled. Coat the pineapple sections generously with 1 tablespoon of honey (long wedges or slices work best) and lay them out on the grill, carefully, as the sections will be slippery. Grill each side for 4 minutes or until the pineapple and honey have caramelized and turned the pieces have evenly browned.
Saute the onions and garlic
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has become tender and fragrant (about 7 minutes).
Cook the remaining ingredients
Add the remaining honey (3 tablespoons), apple cider vinegar, Sriracha and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 10 minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated, stirring occasionally. Add the pineapple, habanero and grated ginger and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the cilantro. Brush on wings or let cool and refrigerate in an airtight container.
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